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At the end of 2017, Dodge shut down Viper production for good, but OldCarMemories.com argues it didn’t have to end that way. After roughly 25 years as America’s raw, V10-powered sports car, the Viper’s sales had collapsed, and this video lays out the specific changes its creators believe could have saved it. It’s a fan’s impassioned case for a fallen icon. Watch to hear how the Viper might have survived.
Long before the 1967 Camaro became a collector’s icon, Chevrolet had to sell it — and this rare original commercial does it by opening with a scene straight out of the hit show “Bewitched.” It’s a delightful time capsule from the year the Camaro paced the Indy 500 and squared off against the Mustang. Detroit horsepower meets prime-time sitcom magic. Watch to see how a legend was first pitched to America.
Mark Mooneyhan’s Jacksonville garage holds not one winged Mopar but two — a 1969 Dodge Daytona and a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird, sitting side by side like rival branches of the same family tree. Both cars were built to solve the same problem: raw speed on NASCAR’s biggest tracks, achieved through aerodynamics so effective that NASCAR eventually changed the rules to stop them. Mooneyhan believes cars like these deserve a place on every enthusiast’s wish list. See which one he’d choose if he could only save one.
A scratchy VHS dub recorded off television around 1995 is one of the only surviving copies of a documentary tracing muscle cars back to their real origin — not the showroom, but the moonshine trade. It follows the bootleggers who built the first high-performance sedans out of necessity, and the backroad drivers who became NASCAR’s earliest stars. The picture quality hasn’t aged well, but the story it tells about where American car culture actually comes from has barely been told anywhere else.
With the Audi R8, it’s like driving a Lamborghini Gallardo in disguise, but with the swagger of Audi’s quattro division. Imagine a car that’s a chameleon on the road, offering flavors for every power-hungry palate. With its aluminum monocoque frame, it’s light, nimble, and ready to take on the likes of Veyron, but with less weight and more attitude. From 0 to 60 in a blink and a wink, the R8 whispers “speed” with a mischievous grin. Who needs back seats when you have carbon fiber bucket seats and a roll cage for company?
The 1972 Ford Torino strutted in with exaggerated coke bottle curves and an egg crate grille that could make a waffle jealous. This model ditched its vent windows and strutted sleek, frameless glass. While it wasn’t about raw power anymore (RIP Cobra), it offered luxury touches like a posh Grand Torino and a sporty Gran Torino Sport. With a new chassis that could handle speed bumps like a champ, the Torino made riding around feel like a smooth criminal.
By 1971 the muscle car era was already fading, but Buick’s answer was a triple-black GS 455 Stage 1 convertible that looked like a country club cruiser until it started. Detuned or not, its 455 still produced 345 horsepower and a massive 460 lb-ft of torque. Muscle Car of the Week breaks down why this one still upstages louder cars at shows today.
In 1971, the Oldsmobile 4-4-2 faced the muscle car apocalypse: EPA regulations! With unleaded fuel and low compression, horsepower ratings dropped faster than a lead foot at a red light. Despite this, the 4-4-2 strutted its stuff with unique features like a black grille, silver headlight bezels, and the ever-so-stylish vertically challenged taillights. Oldsmobile’s W-Machine, the W-30, still packed a punch, proving that even in a downturn, this muscle car was the GTO’s suave cousin.
In the early ’60s, Oldsmobile unveiled the F-85 & Cutlass, aiming to blend practicality with pizzazz. With a unibody design, this compact wonder sported a lightweight 215-cubic-inch V8 engine, perfect for those who wanted speed without breaking the bank—or the speed limit! Despite its charm, critics found its suspension as soft as a marshmallow. The Cutlass grew in popularity, especially with the turbocharged Jetfire, which offered a thrilling ride, albeit with a few reliability hiccups.
Plymouth built the Road Runner as a bare-bones budget muscle car for 1969, then midway through the model year quietly dropped in a 440 Six Barrel engine and a fiberglass hood under the A12 option code. This Vitamin C Orange example, sourced from the Brothers Collection, represents one of the most aggressive running changes of the entire muscle car era. Few A12 cars survive with this level of documentation. See what made the mid-year package so different.
A 1970 Plymouth Road Runner sat forgotten for decades before someone finally read its fender tag — and realized it was VIN #00015, the very first 1970 Road Runner ever built. Under the hood sits a legendary 426 Hemi backed by a four-speed, making it one of just 44 coupes built that way. This is the kind of barn find collectors dream about and almost never see. Watch to find out what it might be worth.
Three hosts, three American muscle cars, and one stretch of open road: Top Gear lines up a Mustang, a Chevy, and a Mopar to settle the oldest argument in Detroit performance. Adam, Tanner, and Rutledge each defend their pick with more enthusiasm than engineering, and the drag race format strips the debate to its basics. Watch to see which flag flies highest, and whether the feud is any closer to settled.